K-drama Lovers of the Red Sky: fantasy-tinged period romance starring Kim Yoo-jung, Ahn Hyo-seop overcomes rocky opening
- Kim Yoo-jung and Ahn Hyo-seop play star-crossed sweethearts caught between scheming royals and vengeful demons
- A dense and manic opening episode that veered wildly in tone disappointed, but the story soon settled into a pleasant pace with some room for comedy
What could be better than pairing the sweeping scope of period love stories with the escapism of fantasy romance? Lovers of the Red Sky, with its star-crossed sweethearts, caught between scheming royals and vengeful demons, is the latest addition to the period fantasy romance subgenre of Korean drama.
Kim Yoo-jung and Ahn Hyo-seop lead this adaptation of the novel of the same name penned by Jung Eun-gwol, known for the books that spawned the hit period dramas Moon Embracing the Sun and Sungkyunkwan Scandal. In the director’s chair is Jang Tae-yoo, who directed My Love from the Star, one of South Korea’s signature fantasy romance tales.
Set in the reign of the ancient Korean Joseon dynasty, the story begins with a ritual in which the king and his father attempt to exorcise a dangerous demon, but only succeed in trapping it in a portrait. Before entering the portrait, the demon curses its painter as well as the officer in charge of the ritual.
Following this, Hong Cheon-gi, the daughter of the painter, is born blind. Born on the same day is Ha Ram, who will train to be a scholar. The pair become inseparable childhood friends until a dragon ritual is performed to pray for rain.
During the ritual, which demands a human sacrifice to be successful, Cheon-gi and Ha Ram find themselves plunged underwater. Cheon-gi magically regains her sight, only for Ha Ram to be struck with blindness, and after the ordeal, the children forget about one another.